Are We Killing Beer?

I think in the Philly suburbs, it will be around 2020. There are already 114 existing breweries in the Philly metro area, but at least 45 new ones are slated to open by 2019.

I can see a brewery for every town that has a "downtown" with bars and restaurants. But most of those locals are already covered, so now you've got places opening out in industrial parks that have limited or no distribution, and have to rely on taproom sales. I think eventually people will tire of drinking mediocre beer in glorified warehouses just because it's "new", when they can drive 5 or 10 minutes to a more comfortable place with better beer.

 

Or walk.

 

You're in Massachusetts, so I assume those ubiquitous IPAs to which you refer are NEIPAs, not "real" (dry and bitter) IPAs. That's an important distinction, because NEIPAs tend to function in the market much like the gimmick beers being discussed in this thread (and, not coincidentally, often sit beside them in kegs at taprooms). They're aimed at newer and less initially experienced customers who demand that beer taste very sweet and remarkably like some other familiar substance, such as tropical fruit juice. Some of those customers are social-media-savvy scenesters, and some are their less hip friends and family members who are dragged along for the ride, but they're united in mostly not being traditional craft beer customers, in not having much of a palate for traditional craft beer flavors, and in demanding that the beers they drink be as accessible as possible. Basically all other types of IPAs, in contrast, serve a very different customer base, people who are seeking strong versions of flavors historically associated specifically with beer (i.e., more traditional and veteran craft beer geeks).

 

Trillium shockingly put out a Gold Ale a few weeks back. As you might expect, it's not selling despite the $10/4pk price point (vs $22 for a 4pk of a double dry hopped IPA) I'm sure it is never to be seen again. Too bad.

 

Historically? LMAO.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/commun...pale-ales-ipas-listed-on-beeradvocate.583396/
Dude you sound like the guy all jealous because you aren't one of the cool kids anymore. Your characterizations of fellow beer lovers smack of an anger that is hard to explain any other way. There are plenty of great beers in every style, for every taste, more than ever. It's the golden fucking age of beer, man, and you sound like the guy who complains it isn't golden enough to suit you.

 

Craft beer decidedly was uncool until very recently. At most, I'm a never-was, not a has-been. I'm calling a cultural phenomenon as I see it. How do you explain the vastly increased customer base for craft beer in recent years and the simultaneous rise (commercially and in the ratings) of Sweet IPAs, pastry stouts, fruited kettle sours, and (other) gimmick beers? Pure coincidence? Are long-time craft beer fans, with formerly limited palates, finally coming around to the glories of residual sugars, lactose, and fructose that newer yet more sophisticated drinkers have graciously educated them to appreciate?

For my tastes, I've seen most of my favorite local breweries'* average product decline markedly in recent months as they increasingly shift toward sweeter and flavored fare, with few other breweries picking up the slack by going against the grain, so the gold is getting tarnished for me. I'm thus incentivized to explain this phenomenon to enable an effort (perhaps but hopefully not futile) to counter it, whereas you, a fan of some of these developments and someone who seems to have an aversion to perceived reactionary thinking that I would guess transcends beer-related topics (correct me if I'm wrong), are incentivized to let it chug along unencumbered. I encourage you to consider and engage my ideas (or, at minimum, ignore them) rather than ascribe ill intentions.

* Surly, Sisyphus, Fair State, Wild Mind, 12welve Eyes, etc.

 

Thanks for that education on IPA's and NEIPA's. You assume a lot and you know what they say about assuming....

@cavedave replied to your post pretty well so I won't say much other than point out that I mentioned I've been to breweries and bars outside of Massachusetts. I spend a decent amount of time traveling across most of the country and to a few other countries here and there. Its been a while since I've been to Minnesota so perhaps its different than the rest of the world. Perhaps you've even traveled outside of Minnesota and your experience is different than mine but given the topic of this thread I think I can "assume" that most people's experience shows that most breweries sell mostly IPA's.

 

Hmm, maybe that's a Minnesota thing because craft beer has been cool here in Massachusetts for the last 25-30 years. We even had real IPA's here in the 90's before NEIPA's existed.

 

I read your review on that. Well written review, but the combo of juicy and roasty sounds like an abomination. I just can't wrap my head around tropical leather either. Still, if I saw one on tap I'd have to try at least a sip.

 

Not sure if you act like an old timer, but weren't actually around, or you really remember what it was like back "historically" and just ignore it in your complaints about how things are going "downhill" now.

Expecting brewers to always cater to you, and explaining when they don't in some sort of sociological treatise, is kind of ridiculous in my opinion. "The gold is getting tarnished for you" doesn't mean there needs to be a resentment for the "good old days of history" passing, especially when that history you bemoan passing was under a minute on the historical clock, and more especially when, despite these complaints, the fact is there is little to no hardship involved. Despite your protests you have no trouble finding great beer in any style you want.

And yes, I do like all beer styles. And I do find the good, or bad, in people from experience of knowing them well enough personally to have opinions about them. I am gonna go out on a limb and say you know exactly zero of the people you characterize.

I am a classical music lover, and I know others who remind me of you. They complain about the quality of new music that new/younger folks to the music scene listen to, such as rap,, and make up these scenarios about people they have never met, and are in fact clueless about, and are not harmed in any way by, since classical music, like great beer, is in a golden age, and great music of all kinds (including classical), like great beer, is more available than it's ever been.

 

A local brewery has 20 beers on tap and this is the list.

West Coast Rye IPA
IIPA
NEIPA
Lactose IPA
Oat IPA
IPAx3
Russian Imperial Stout
American Stout
Porter
Fruit Beer
Golden Ale
American Pale Ale
Rye Pale Ale
American Amber Ale
Belgian Tripel
American Brown
Gosex2

8 IPAs of some form and 12 other styles. I think the place is a good to better than average. I like IPA's as much as the next guy but the place just does not do them that well. They do a variety of other styles very well. They have some very good stouts, goses, porters, and various Belgian styles. They have a chocolate and coffee brown ale and a Barrel Aged version, both our outstanding. In my opinion they, and I know wasting is a bit of a strong word, are wasting a few too many tap lines on IPAs. Either way, it is great that I can go there and know there will be at least 6 well done styles available.

I am not sure who the 'we' is, but beer is doing just fine. No one is killing beer. I think it is awesome that there are so many options out there and so many places are now carrying craft beer. Who cares what people are posting on whatever social media site. If you want a great beer you don't need to work too hard to find one.

 

You've got me pegged utterly wrong in multiple ways in a single post. Physician, heal thyself.

 

You guys actually seem to have as firm a grasp on how a "bubble" works as the experts and everyone else, including myself. Cheers!

 

I didn’t want him holding his breath since there is no bubble to burst and someone who waits will wait a very long time.

 

I'm not sure the local beer market is so fragile in the grander scheme (based on the fairly affluent area in which I live) that the bottom will fall out - so I don't see the worst happening here. That doesn't mean its the same everywhere, but I do think the public around here can support what those of us on this site might consider average at best. Which I think is in line with your "at best" scenario.

Net: I think I agree with you generally without feeling the extremes will come into play.

Again, only my local experience, but I don't feel many new local breweries are going down the rabbit hole. Sure, Aslin kinda went all in, and new local places have to throw something out there to attempt to meet the demand "it" hath wrought, but...

...around here, the hyper-local (for lack of a better term) are the homebrewers who have produced more classical styles and are attempting to take them commercial. Sure, even with the "non-hipster" styles, there are hits and misses, but I tend to see more egregious misses on the NE IPA/pastry stout side from new locals than I do from their attempts at more classic styles. Luckily they don't generally focus on them (expense may or may not be a part).

Add this back into how I think people will accept the convenience of ok local beers, I think things have some staying power around here, with perhaps some mild shifts here and there. Not at all near being "killed."

 

I was sorta hinting at the folly of knowing so much as to perfectly timing a bubble's largest girth (harkening back to my old school business studies)... which could be as you say or *pop* not.

 

When you say craft beer was uncool until very recently, what is your timeframe? I’m pretty sure the biggest part of the current craft boom we’re experiencing predated the advent or at least popularization of sweet IPAs and pastry stouts.

 

What bothers me is that many of these local breweries seem to be the same, ran by a bearded guy who says that he got into the trade because of his "love of great beer" and takes pride in the fact his brewery makes stuff that is "innovative and unique."

And then they just make the same NEIPAs and fruity sours as the next guy down the street.

If this person really loved beer, he would be paying homage to the classic styles and not making the same tripe as everybody else at amateur quality.

 

Craft beer still is not "cool." I have been trying for a decade to put my friends on good beer and have only turned a few friends. I brought some killer Weis beer to a hockey locker room last week and everyone was like wtf is this. They usually drink miller lite or bud light. If you guys seriously think craft beer is cool you are some smug bastards. You guys must also enjoy the smell of your own farts..